What is the Difference Between Hair and Fur?

I think the question has two different motives. The scientific approach and the everyday use. These are very different and occur in many different disciplines. For example rocks come in all sizes and shapes and geologists group them in precise categories based on size range, pebbles, cobbles, boulders. They are similar to everyday usage but much more precise. In the case of hair vs fur people above are arguing from two different approaches, the scientific and the vernacular. In vernacular I think of hair as strands of keratin that have an indeterminate growth length. Human head hair, horses manes and tails, several breeds of dogs such as poodle, komondork, shih tsu and maltese. But it can also refer to texture. For instance, still in the vernacular approach, I have an older kitten that has two very distict types of top coat. One is much longer than the other and much silkier.

If I were writing a standard for a cat breed, I would describe her as having hair along her spine because it looks different, reflects light differently and feels different from what's on the rest of her. In vernacular I need a word to express this difference.

So for the most part I agree with everyone above, just realizing that they are coming from two different approaches. Science for some and vernacular for others. Something like the scientific name: Felis concolor vs the vernacular names: mountain lion, cougar, panther, cat-a-mount etc. I showed dogs for many years and you wouldn't believe the vernacular that runs around the show ring describing different dog breeds.

@34064: That's like saying that steel is different in a tank as compared to a battleship because one is a boat and the other is not. Steel is steel. Hair is fur. Fur is hair. The fact that the skin surrounding the hair has more or less sweat glands does not change what the hair is made of. The purpose for the hair, the function is provides to the animal, does not change what the hair is made of.

If the discussion was on the difference between hide and skin, perhaps, because it involves those multiple structures as a whole.

"Hypoallergenic" and "less allergenic" mean the same thing.

Just to confuse things a little more, a horse's coat is referred to as horse hair, while a dog's coat is fur. So they both have coats, yet one is fur the other hair?

It seems to me, as stated in the original post, that fur and hair are interchangeable. It's more about how they sound when referencing a mammal (human or otherwise).

Hair and fur are the same in the human eye but there are differences such as the cuticle of the hair. We all have different patterns in our hairs but there are specific patterns that help us distinguish which is animal hair(fur) and which is human hair.

Does anyone know where I could take or send a hair/fur sample to determine the origin of the species -- cat or rabbit?

There actually is a difference, it's made out of the same thing but the proper term for hair on your head is hair, when animals have hair it's called fur. Many Youtube and DeviantART artists think dogs and cats have hair, and tend to add it, but if they are aiming to be realistic, having bangs or hair isn't the right way.

It's sad to see some of these comments. It shows how some people will just never admit they don't know everything. If your argument is fur and hair are different, make better arguments. It is obvious some of the commenters' reluctance stems from the human superiority complex.

Yes, some humans shed (i.e. climate or radiation), some fur/hair is for warmth, some humans (esp SS Africans) are nearly fur/hairless and never "have" to get hair cuts or shave, some humans (esp snow humans) would be completely covered with fur/hair if not for razors. Many snow women can grow full beards, many tropical/jungle men cannot if they live to be 100.

Dogs have hair. Just look at the names of some dogs, i.e., German Wirehaired Pointer, German Shorthaired Pointer, longhaired Dachshund. I can't think of any dog breed that has the word "fur" in their name.

No dog is "hypoallergenic". All shed, all have dander -- just some shed more or less depending on the the breed. "Hypoallergenic" is an over used word when talking about dogs and dog hair/fur. Maybe it should be referred to as "Less Allergenic," as in the case of the not so old breed the Labradoodle.

Hair continues to grow and grow, while fur does not.

If we had fur instead of hair, we'd never need to get it cut, unless the length of our fur was longer than we desired.

I have heard the term hair vs fur in relation to dogs to mean that 'hair' doesn't fall out, and 'fur' sheds. hypoallergenic dog breeds often have 'hair' that helps hold-in dander(poodles, Komondors, others). Then of course many labeled hypoallergenic dogs are are just small so don't have the surface area to produce 'that much' dander etc.

There is no chemical difference between "hair" or "fur". And it's a myth about any breed of dog being hypoallergenic or shedless. All dogs, regardless of the breed, create the things that cause those sensitive to them to have an allergic reaction. These are dander (dead skin cells, saliva, and urine. The breeds typically considered hypoallergenic are also the same breeds that tend to high grooming requirements. Grooming tends to keep all the allergens down.

Selective breeding for certain physical traits is why different breeds have different type of coats. The reasons for breeding for the coats varies from purely cosmetic, to help the dog function in doing whatever job it was originally bred to do.

They are the same and I told my friends mom and she said it was the same as fur and hair.

No difference. Check Scientific American.

goodness you say hair and fur are the same. well let me tell you i have a head of fur and a beard of hair and it is different. just yesterday i was saying, "shoot i need to go get a hair cut," and i wanted to go see that broadway show "hair." "give me a head with hair -- long beautiful hair, flax it wax give it down to there."

Mohair comes from the angora goat, not the alpaca. Alpacas have fleece that can be spun into yarn, etc. but it definitely is not mohair.

There are in fact major structural differences between fur and hair—and the skin that grows each!

Compared to the hair of human skin and horse hide, fur is complex, comprising at least two types of hair. Awn hairs, downy and relatively short, trap heat. Guard hairs, longer and stiffer, are so called because they protect the awn hairs from damage. Furred skin has few or no sweat glands; humans, horses, and certain other species sacrifice awn hairs in favor of sweat glands. (Horses, with denser coats of hair, have fewer glands than humans.)

In mammals hair grows in cycles. Anagen is a period of new hair growth. The longer the anagen period, the longer the hair grows. Catagen is a transition phase. During catagen growth stops and the outer root sheath shrinks attaching to the root of the hair. Telogen is the resting phase. Exogen is when the hair falls out, and the follicle enters a new anagen period, growing a new strand of hair.

In dogs, as in all other mammals, some hair follicles are in anagen, some in catagen, some in telogen. Shedding, length of hair and presence or absence of an undercoat depend upon the timing of these cycles and the ratio of hair follicles in the various stages. Differences between summer coat and winter occur because during the summer a greater number of follicles remain inactive. Some breeds, e.g. poodles, tend to be low shedding because almost all of their follicles are in anagen (growth cycle) almost all the time; their hair continues to grow and has to be clipped. Some breeds of dog, e.g. Chinese Crested have most of their follicles in telogen and, thus, may be almost completely hairless. Both breeds are often listed as recommended for allergy sufferers.

If there is no difference between hair and fur, why are some dogs considered hypoallergenic? Why do some dogs shed and others grow long and need to be groomed (Maltese for example)?